What is everyone reading?

Found Zukov´s memoirs in a second hand book shop...should be interesting though I already notice quite alot of propaganda in the "strategic places"...

 

I'm about to start a book that Stevin graciously sent to me which is on uboats. I only have a few pages to go before finishing Hitlers Gladiator--which is an excellent book BTW.

 

Finally got my own copy of "My Rise and Fall" by Benito Mussolini. It's a collection of his memoirs written -get this- during his rise and fall!

DUCE - 56 Days

 

While I was in Normandy last week I was reading C.C.Martin's Battle Diary which is an excellent account of a Canadian soldier in NW Europe from D Day to Germany... in fact one of the best soldier's memoirs I have read in a while.

The author served with the Queens Own Rifles of Canada, and was awarded the DCM and MM for bravery.

If interested, you can order it from the QOR website at:

http://www.qor.com/kitshop.html

 

Also on NW Europe I'm just now reading David G van Buggenum's extraordinary book, ' B Company Arrived' . This gives a step-by-step account of just one Company in the Battle of Arnhem ; 'B' Company, the 2nd Parachute Battalion.

It's superbly produced with many rare illustrations and veteran's accounts. The detail is really amazing and the book clarifies some previously confused areas of B Company's fight through to the Bridge. In print now but it's a limited edition....

 

I just purchased a neat little title on Z-34 Ein Kriegstagebuch vom Alltag des Seekrieges 1943 bis 1945, by Rolf Güth from OOP 1980. Koehler Verlag, 105 pages and full of maps and KTB information....all im Deutsh of course. 12.80 Euro

A steal in my mind.

~E

 

Right now I'm reading some veterans' rememberances who were in the 305th Bomb Group. Really interesting. I picked the book up from the 8th AF Museum last year.

Greg

 

Reading 'Ghostforce: The Secret History Of The SAS' by Ken Connor. Reading about the Gulf war (1st) in the book now.
Though i'm in the middle of the book 'Stalingrad' by someone i can't remember.

 

"Stalingrad" is by Anthony Beevor--and it's an excellent choice to read.

 

That's the guy. It's very deep and well written. Recommended to all.

 

Revisitting Max Hastings Overlord again.

Beever has written some good works, but never got round to Stalingrad until seeing how much it was recommended on these forums, so picked it up read it and was not dissapointed, but creates a problem, was not interested in Eastern theatre that much but this book had me captivated and now got to spend even more pennies on more.

 

Can you name any other books by Anthony Beevor?

 

Munken, there are guys on here that probably have his complete works, but I have only read Stalingrad quite recently as I stated, but his work on Crete was just as fascinating to me also, and his Berlin work stands tall along side any others written

 

Oh I agree completely, it is not very often i remember my favorite chapter 2 years after i read it:

Chapter 10: "Rattenkrieg"


CvM

 

Well, it is very good to find out that I wasn't the only toy destroyer there was...

However, I never subjected my little 1/72 scale soldiers to any of those circumstances. They only used to get lost in the garden when I used to recreate the Pacific theatre scenario...

But I did build big model of the famous clipper RMS Thermophylae. I then destroyed it and build it again and destroyed it again. Finally, the bow of the clipper saw its last destiny as a wretch in the living room's fish house (?)... (What's the word for that glass box you put your fishes in?)

Erich, I have also one picture of Hermann Göring's Fokker VII. Very beautiful indeed. I might post it somewhere when I go back to Mexico.

Then he's telling the truth. Rommel was everything but an agreeable commander. His supeior and subordinated officers pretty much hated him. He was a tyran and treated nearly everybody very bad. He barely smiled or publicly accepted someone's merits.

I still go with the Fokker VII as WWI best fighter. Do you know that the very specific type of aeroplane Kokker VII was prohibited by the Versailles Treaty? That speaks very good about the plane.

I own this book. Nice information and nice pictures. However, the printing quality is AWFUL. There's one photo of Rommel in which he looks more like the burnt English patient or a mummy than Rommel!

Well, this IS a master war book. Very good choice, Patrick!

Carl, I finally could get Anthony Beevor's "Fall of Berlin 1945"! I'll start it as soon as I get the time. And of course, I am still fighting to get his "Stalingrad".

I also got Stephen E. Ambrose's "Band of Brothers". Finally!

And here are other tittles I have just bought yesterday. (I am mentioning only the military ones, which are only 10% of what I bought):

- "Goodbye Darkness" by William Manchester. (A present for my dear friend Carl, if he doesn't have it yet)

- "Nuremberg Diary" by G. M. Gilbert

- "How few remain" by Harry Turtledove. A novel of the second war between the states. I'll get started in USA civil war.

- "The Hundred Years War" by Desmond Seward

- "It doesn't take a hero" by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, his autobiography.

- "Churchill" by Roy Jenkins. Finally I found something really worth on him, as Kershaw's work on Hitler.

- "The Kennedy Men 1901-1963" by Laurence Leamer. I am sure it has a lot of war things.

And I'm not over of my shopping yet!

 

Ah, just got hold of a copy of 'Room 39', (Naval Intelligence). Hopefully this will fill in some gaps in Special Operations intelligence where other references state "the details of that part of the operation were left to the Navy", or such like.

No.9

 

Hey Fried, Antony Beevor's Stalingrad is a very good read, you're efforts to attain it will be much rewarded.


And btw, Before reading Any of Turtledove's books, please, please read some real Civil war stuff first, lol. I recommend Jeff Shaara's books, long with his father, Michael's book, The Killer Angels, they present the perfect Civil War trilogy, whats best is, they are written like novels, which IMHO, makes it better, in this case.


CvM

 

OK, Patrick. I'll do that. I have to find out some real American Civil War books, but first, I need more Seven Years War books first. I've really got interested into it since I visited Fort Stewart in Sainte Helène Island in Montréal.

 

Much appreciated Fried for the future book. I don't have a copy yet.

I liked the Stalingrad book much better than the Berlin one--by Beevor. If you want a great "Berlin" read--get the one by that was written by a person who was in the Hitler Youth--that is a most excellent read--It's called: "Berlin: Dance of Death."

Let me know how Nuremberg Diary, turns out--it sounds very interesting.

Thanks CvM--I think that was my fav chapter as well. Also--it's the only war book I keep constantly next to my bed--case I can't slppe.

 

Ah, i always have something close in case i cannot sleep, i beleive the one i am using currently is:

Third Reich Victorious
which is a series of alternate scenarios ending in a German Victory, of Negotiated peace in Europe.


CvM